January 17, 2004 Project Update

It was a foggy and dreary start to what ended up a pretty Saturday. We had
planned for it to be a quiet weekend but many more people showed up to work
than expected. As a result there was some wasted manpower, a problem
we hope not to repeat. Thank you to everyone who brought new individuals,
especially Keith Schill. In the future, if it is at all possible, please
let Bill Broussard know in advance (and this goes for everyone), via email,
if anyone plans to bring one or more guests. With this knowledge we can plan
to have some projects available for people who may not have the skill or the
desire to do something very technical.........did anyone say "Sandpaper?" But
again our apologies for not keeping your buds busier. Hopefully we did not
scare anyone off due to inactivity and we would certainly welcome anyone
back.

Much of the activity centered around installing new wing fittings for the
Fokker D.VII. This involved some excruciating surgery on our bird
performed by a variety of people. When we left, the cleanup of the spars
had been completed and dowels glued into the original fitting holes. Ron
Marcotte led a group of volunteers to reinstall the tail feathers on the
D.VII as well as reattach the control cables, bracing wires and struts. He
also applied the N numbers to both the D.VII and the Canuck. In his own
words....."Keith Schill showed up with three other guys from Houston who
pitched in to put the tail feathers back on the D.VII. Later
we swapped the rudder cables then all cables were then adjusted and tied
with safety wire. The "N1918H" numbers and new Fokker decals were also
applied. The tail end should now be ready to go."

Chris Backer, Tom Gaylord and Ted Dawson started work on the Ranger engine
for the D.VII. They began cleanup of the engine cases, checked out parts
available in the storage attic and did a literature search for some nominal
engine dimensions.

Gary Marsden met with Tom and other members to discuss possible "slight"
changes to the skull on the D.VII fuselage. After some discussion it was
decided to remove a couple of small lines painted on the skulls. Using
very fine sandpaper Gary removed the lines and repainted the area with
white paint. I think everyone is very satisfied with the results.

Ted Guay came by for what was his last trip to Kingsbury. He is moving to
Seattle and we will surely miss his services. He still had time to give a tour
of the facilities to several interested parties and work on the wheel
covers for the D.VII. Best of luck to you Ted and hopefully we can keep in
touch.